The infamous Full Moon Party at Haad Rin beach on the island of Koh Phangan in Thailand has become a fixture on the backpacker circuit but the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is warning revellers to extremely beware.

This updated advice has been prompted by a number of incidents this year “where western tourists have been victims of vicious unprovoked assaults by gangs”, the FCO reports.

Official advice is now to take extreme care when around the bars in Haad Rin beach, particularly late at night and around the time of the Full Moon parties.

The FCO goes as far as suggesting people avoid the area (Island of Madness – Koh Phangan) altogether if possible.

Further travel advice for Thailand includes warning holidaymakers about the dangers of accepting drinks from strangers at clubs and parties.

According to the FCO, six British nationals have been murdered in Thailand in the past two to three years and increasingly incidences of date rape have been reported.

There have been a number of incidents in Koh Phangan in 2008 where western tourists have been victims of vicious unprovoked assaults by gangs. These attacks are increasingly common around the time of the Full Moon Parties and generally occur late at night in the vicinity of bars in Haad Rin. You are advised be extremely careful when walking in this area at any time, especially after dark and if possible avoid it altogether.

There also has been a number of incidents where tourists have had their drinks drugged (in both tourist areas and red light districts). You should be careful about taking drinks from strangers and be wary at clubs and parties, particularly in the Koh Samui area and at the Full Moon party on Phangan Island where incidences of date rape have been reported. A number of British nationals have suffered severe psychiatric problems as a result of drug use, in a small number of cases resulting in suicide.

Don’t go anywhere, if you don’t know what you are doing! lol Seems like the english are helpless wthout advice… Stay at home and spend your already taxed money in the uk. Politics of fear works with the americans(war on terror) , so why not with the english?

Right, keep your eyes closed for the facts. I hope you will not be one of those victims of crime on Koh Phangan.

Always drugs involved in some way and that’s the real problem on Koh Phangan. This island became a paradise for drug business. Parties over parties where you can get any kind of drug. There is no party without drugs! The sad thing is that the residents have to suffer from all crime resulting from drugs.

makes me laugh all these negative comments..u think phangan is bad .try living in london .it may be corupt out there like many other countries i have visited.but least the place runs smoothly .love ko phangan .please dont change

If you want to go to Ko Phangan despite the warnings, go ahead. Its your choice.
My fiance was drugged to within an inch of his life there at the last Full Moon Party – and by that I mean he actually nearly died. It took well over an hour to find any medical help and he went into cardiac arrest. We were incredibly lucky that other tourists tried so hard to help us and eventually found that help because another half hour an d he wouldn’t have been here today. To make out that this sort of thing is ok is ridiculous and the least anyone can do is warn other travellers not to drink buckets which are far too easy to spike. I would say though do not go to Phangan. Many others were also drugged and robbed that night (and who knows what else) and nothing is done about it. If you came as close to losing someone you love as I did, you would certainly not trivialise how serious an issue this is and wouol want to warn as many other travellers as possible that this is a v dangerous place.

Lets remember that if you are not interested in parties, drugs and buckets there is the other 95% of the island to visit. The trouble stays in one small area of the island but the whole island suffers from its reputation. The rest of the island is a safe and beautiful place to visit. 2 contrasting worlds on one small little island.

All of these articles on bad things about the island comes back to just one thing – SORT OUT THE POLICE FORCE!!!!!!!!

Do you residents really want all these criminals giving your island a bad name & losing you tourist trade? These thugs endanger not only tourists lives but islanders lives too! Who wants to live in fear? – no one!

These criminals are running your island without fear of any action from the police – sort the police force out and the problems will disappear!

I lived on the island for 4 years only leaving in 05 and am very sorry to hear about the problems there today. Even when I lived there Haad rin (the Gaza strip) was a place best avoided at night and when the fool moon party was on.
In all my time there I only had one problem and that was with an English total looser who ran a so-called windsurfing school just south of Thongsala who as I remember got himself in all sorts of bother when he hit a Thai ambulance driver at the hospital one night. I lived in the north east side of the island most of the time and never had any problems at all. Maybe its was because I don’t do drugs or get totally smashed or get my self in trouble with the ladies that I never had any problems in the past.
I hope to return in the winter for a couple of months and catching up with the many friends I made there over the years. Let’s hope when I get back things have improved for the better

it took you well over an hour to find medical attention? there is a clinic on the beach, one at the beach entrance (two on that same street and another one at end of the street). they are ll there waiting fir drunken idiots to hurt themselves and stay open all night for the full moon. all in all there are at least 23 clinics in koh phangan. i have one right beside my hostel right now, here in koh phangan.

Well, as I said DARWIN AWARD. At the times I was living in Ko Phangan there was not even a hospital there. You had to go to the next island. Well try that with a head full of drugs :)) . Drinking out of a bucket. I mean – hello?????? What about sealed drinks?

I never do drugs in parties like that and never had any troubles at all. I hardly drink alcohol too. How come I never have been drugged involuntarily or never had any problems at all with locals. Only idiots have that.

One hour to find a hospital. Well, go figure!! You have to think before doing something. I wonder how long some people like that acutally survive in the “real wilderness” where no one can actually save them from the consequences of their stupidity. I mean common sense and a little information about where you are going should go a long way-

Hello?? You did not accidentally land on KO PHANGAN. Did you? So if you are not ready for the djungle then try some all inclusive family vacation ? I don`t understand people like you always trying to be the poor victims instead of actually learning something and acting responsible.

LIfe is hard and the fittest survival. Unfortunately the world is not a loonie-bin where everyone takes away scissors so dumbasses don`t hurt themselves. Some things require a brain activity. Many others were drugged as well??

Course there is crime in London and deaths! But at least the police force will act there and launch a full and thorough high tech investigation, and you can be 99% sure they will catch the criminals and put them in prision where they belong so no one else gets hurt! over there if you get caught all you have to do is pay the police to get off!

No, but you can compare the differences in corruption – look at those two english people (see the comments on their seperate thread) – they made a Police report telling Police they were hammered by two Swedish guys and the Police wrote that they fell over and hurt themselves! Now dont be a dickweed – and pretend this island is as safe as anywhere – get real – it is fuckin dangerous and corrupt!

Have they ever realize, behave and aware themselves that what they have done during their holiday away from their home country might cause the problem to themselves??? like breaking the local rule/culture?!?! such as wearing bikini walking along the public street, stop the bike just exactly right at the junction/corner & without driving license…Do they do something like this in their home town/country???

totally agree with you Ruji. I lived 8 years on Koh Samui and could see this Shitty behavior from several citizen like British Russian and Israelis.
they where the worst. they tried to beat up a friend of mine on had rin beach, but they where 6 men, attacking 1 Irish man. fu…ers. they got the wrong guy, as he was a muay Thai fighter and beat the shit out of all the 6 isrelis…
some people just come to mix up and annoy other people… sad world we are living…

Koh Phangan Related News

It finally has HAPPENED! The New Jungle Gym in Thong Sala on Koh Phangan Island has opened … well, that only took us a couple of years! It came together and we had the whole ceremony opening thing too. Hope … Continue reading →

Full moon party things have definitely changed over the last 10 years and I’m still asking myself from time to time if this change was a good or a bad one? But as nothing is more permanent than the change … Continue reading →

Koh Phangan White Azure is a contemporary eco friendly villa located in the Gulf of Thailand on the east coast of the island of Koh Phangan. The 4 bedroom 4 bathroom villa with swimming pool and jacuzzi suitable for up … Continue reading →